Kissing: the latest way to promote films?

Cosy Instagram photos, kissing on-stage or sitting on each others' laps at promotional events, the new breed of actors have been seen indulging in public display of affection (PDA) during their film promotions.

Alia Bhatt has posted lovey-dovey photos of her co-star Arjun Kapoor and herself, as their film 2 States is set to release next week, in which they play husband and wife.

While promoting the recently-released Main Tera Hero, Varun Dhawan was seen sitting on his co-star Nargis Fakri's lap at several events.

In fact, Nargis was quoted as saying, "I find it hilarious that Varun is always caught sitting on my lap!"

So, is taking the PDA route to promote their films a new tool, or do the actors really get close to each other while working together?
Ad guru Prahlad Kakar says it’s a purely strategic way of promoting films. "Yes, these lovey- dovey gestures are part of the marketing strategies that have been planned to promote the film," he says.

Agrees trade analyst Atul Mohan, who says, "Promotions are always targeted at a certain section of the society. If it is a film shot in college, then they promote it at places where youngsters hang out. Similarly, if it’s a love story, indulging in a little PDA helps to hook the target audience."

But trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels that the PDA during promotions is an extension of the reel chemistry that these stars share. "It’s good to see actors bonding. After all they, too, are human beings and they can’t always be acting," he says.

Film producer Ramesh Taurani thinks it’s both ways. "Few thing are pre-decided and actors are asked to do certain things since promotions are crucial. However, the actors work together for about 80 days for a film, so it’s obvious that they will have some kind of a bonding, which shows," he says.